Smartphone companies in China are reportedly promoting apps to help customers switch from the iPhone.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to a report<\/a> Sunday (Dec. 7) by the Financial Times (FT), which characterizes this as a bid by these companies to capture market share as Apple<\/a> struggles to debut artificial intelligence (AI) offerings in this massive smartphone market.<\/p>\n The report said the five biggest phone companies have all promoted programs this year to help consumers migrate from Apple\u2019s operating system or to use Chinese phones alongside devices from Apple. The FT added that these efforts are happening as China\u2019s internet regulator has held off on approving new AI features from Apple following geopolitical tensions with the U.S.<\/p>\n Apple in September reportedly delayed the introduction<\/a> of its new, thinner smartphone, iPhone Air, in China out of a need for regulatory approval.<\/p>\n \u201cChinese smartphone vendors are clearly moving faster and with greater openness in AI development,\u201d said Lucas Zhong<\/a>, an analyst for the consultancy Omdia<\/a>. \u201cWhile it may take time for these strategies to deliver meaningful conversions, they will undoubtedly add pressure to Apple\u2019s operations in China.\u201d<\/p>\n The report added that smartphone providers in China have had trouble wooing Apple users because the American company makes it simple to transfer apps and files to new devices. Now, however, these companies believe their new AI-powered features, along with things like foldable phones<\/a>,\u00a0have made their products enticing enough to attract Apple fans.<\/p>\n Advertisement: Scroll to Continue<\/p>\n For example, the latest model of phone from China\u2019s Honor<\/a> can help shoppers find discounts by comparing a range of coupon sites, book taxis faster by coordinating between different ride-hailing apps and generate short videos.<\/p>\n \u201cApple is a truly great company, and it\u2019s one our entire industry should learn from, benchmark against and even surpass,\u201d Xiangdong Li, AI product director for Honor\u2019s Magic operating system, told the FT. \u201cIf Apple moves slowly<\/a>, that presents a great opportunity for us, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a report last month from global market research firm Counterpoint<\/a> said that Apple was on pace to overtake Samsung as the world\u2019s largest smartphone seller, and hang onto that title through 2029<\/a>.<\/p>\n